Statewide fire ban extended through September

The Colorado fire ban declared in a 30-day executive order by Gov. Jared Polis last month has been extended through the end of this month due to the state’s ongoing “condition of extreme fire hazard.”

Colorado has had more than 900 wildfires this year, consuming more than 330,000 acres. Nearly 89% of the state is currently experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions.

Portable stoves are allowed under the governor’s order. Also allowed are fires in “constructed, permanent fire pits or fire grates within developed camp and picnic grounds or recreation sites,” but campers need to check for county and national forest restrictions, which may prohibit those fires as well.

Colorado’s Department of Public Safety lays out specific fire restrictions on its website, including those imposed by counties and national forest districts. For much of the Front Range, no open fires are allowed. Examples include the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests and adjacent counties, because they are under Stage 2 restrictions that are more stringent than the governor’s order.

Read the full story via The Denver Post.